By Alexandra Tilsley, Inside Higher Ed
The latest model-busting higher education program comes from a novel partnership between a nonprofit college and a nonprofit organization, helped by a push (and some money) from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Each of Portmont’s degree programs — business administration, computer science, liberal arts and pre-science health — is built around “core capabilities,” like critical thinking, teamwork, problem solving, and performance character. The core capabilities, a hallmark of the Portmont program, are taught and measured through projects and other tasks assigned during a student’s regular course of study. Vasan hopes the focus on the core capabilities throughout the Portmont curriculum will develop students who are prepared to enter a bachelor’s degree program or the work force, and will provide employers with a guarantee that they are getting competent employees. Of course, the value of a Portmont degree will depend on the quality of the program’s graduates, which is why Vasan is dedicated to finding the students with the most motivation and, in his words, “grit.”
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